Service – “The Gift of Mercy”

For the last six weeks we have been looking at the seven motivational gifts as shown in our list below:

Prophecy

Serving

Teaching

Exhortation

Giving

Leadership

Mercy ***

We will finish the discussion of these gifts tonight with a focus on the last one in our list, the spiritual gift of mercy. This gift is one of those much like serving and exhortation that is directed toward individuals who are experiencing certain difficulties. It has been given to those who have an ability to sense hurt in someone else’s life and respond to it with love and understanding. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the general characteristics that are typically exhibited by those who have the motivational gift of mercy.

A mercy-giver’s basic motivational drive is to sense and respond to the emotional and spiritual needs of others. They are kind and gentle. They sense and reflect the spiritual and emotional atmosphere around them. They are more likely to sense how others are feeling than those with the other motivational gifts. They need to be needed so they reach out and get involved with others which helps them to keep from focusing on their own hurts and fears. They see spirituality as an emotional confirmation of the presence of God in their life. They are drawn to other sensitive people and usually are the prayer warriors in the Church because they feel very strongly that they must pray.

The strengths of those with the gift of mercy are numerous and begins with their God-given ability to sense a person’s spirit or the atmosphere among a group of people. Their strengths also include:

They recognize the feelings that may be at work in others’ minds and hearts.

They are equipped to reach out to people who are suffering but may likely be reluctant to tell others about their need.

They are attracted to people who are in distress which leads to a love for those of whom most of us shy away from.

Mercy-givers love the unlovable, such as the handicapped, the elderly, the seriously ill, the wounded in spirit, the outcast, the out of fellowship, and the rebellious.

They do not take sin lightly whether their own or someone else’s.

They embrace humility, because of their sensitive spirits and awareness of their own weaknesses and failures.

The mercy-giver also has a few weaknesses we need to consider because they can diminish the effectiveness of the gift if they are not recognized. Some of these are as follows:

They can be indecisive and be tossed to and fro by their emotions.

They sometimes allow others to become dependent on them instead of God.

They often become rescuers of those who do not need to be rescued.

Because of their warmth, they must learn to temper their demonstrations of affection so that they do not become falsely interpreted.

They are quick to take up others’ offenses but strive to avoid conflict of any kind.

They tend to be introspective which makes it easy for them to become overly sensitive to their own hurts that may lead to the development of a poor self-image.

Now that we have covered all seven motivational gifts we should have a good understanding of how they work together for the edification of the Church as they are exercised by the individual believers. I’m so thankful that God loves His children so much that he gave these gifts to people in order that they can serve people and that those who are served can use their gifts to serve more people. Wouldn’t it be something if the world we live in today and our society knew how to use their talents to do the same for others instead of taking from them. I hope each of us has taken the opportunity during this study to recognize the gift(s) that God has given us and then resolved to use them as intended to serve others so that His Church will be edified and bring glory to Him. I know it has certainly made me more aware of my own gifts and even the gifts of others.

Next week we will begin to look at some specific ways we can put into action all we have learned so that we can serve others as God has so instructed us to do. I know it will results in blessing for them and for us!

For the record, I want to give credit where credit is due. The majority of the information in this series on the motivational gifts came from the website of The Institute of Basic Life Principles and an article entitled “Motivational Gifts in a Nutshell”. The article was written in response to the life question of “What are the seven motivational gifts?” The article can be found at the following link: https://iblp.org/questions/what-are-seven-motivational-gifts

Have a great Lord’s Day tomorrow and a wonderful week to follow. Remember to set your clocks back tonight as it is again time to do so. May God bless each of you.

David

“What if you woke up today with only those things you thanked God for yesterday?”